The Rapids travel to Philadelphia for a Sunday game against the Union on national TV (NBC Sports Network) at 2 p.m. MT. But both teams will be loads different than the last time they met, on July 29 of last year, a 2-1 Colorado victory at PPL Park in Philadelphia.

So to give Colorado fans an insight into the changes and expectations for the Union this season, Adam Cann of The Philly Soccer Page[1] answered five questions for The Terrace to scout Sunday’s game.

How will Philadelphia make up for the loss of Sebastien Le Toux? What is left in the attack? What have been some other notable changes with the team since last season?

Adam Cann: The preseason expectation was that Peter Nowak would give Danny Mwanga the keys to the Union offense. Nowak threw everyone a curveball by leaving Mwanga on the bench against Portland last Monday.

Philly has plenty of offensive options but no proven scorers. Colombian import Lionard Pajoy started up top against Portland, with Costa Rican Josue Martinez and second-year budding star Michael Farfan in support. Farfan, Freddy Adu and young playmaker Roger Torres had seven goals between them in 2011. They need to blow past that total this year to make up for Le Toux’s departure.

The Union made a big jump year-over-year last season. What’s the mood like in Philadelphia right now? Home openers are always exciting. But is there a lot of hope for the Union this season? Or is it a wait-and-see kind of feeling?

Cann: Since the Union joined MLS, their fans have had faith in two things: Peter Nowak’s long term vision for the club and the power of a raucous home crowd. The crowd will be back in full force Sunday afternoon, but the belief in Nowak is not as universal as it once was. Nobody can question the talent on the Union roster or the brilliant job the front office has done assembling it.

The real wait-and-see element for this team is tactical: Will anything resembling a coherent offense take shape this season? Or will we roll the dice and hope for another masterful nine months from the defense?

What about Freddy Adu? What are the expectations for him this season? Does he need to be among Philadelphia’s leaders in points?

Cann: On the US under-23 squad, Freddy Adu has made the right midfield/inverted winger role his own. He distributes early and gets more assertive as time goes on. Against Portland, Adu found himself in familiar positions but without the options he was used to. The result was a distinct lack of influence after the first ten to fifteen minutes.

Adu’s success won’t be measured in goals or assists but in his ability to orchestrate an offense where none has existed before. Sebastien Le Toux thrived on a very direct brand of football in Philly. Freddy Adu is supposed to be the experienced leader that shows the Union’s nine (!) attacking players aged 21 or younger how to control the pace and flow of a game.

Adu could score more than the two goals he notched last season, but he will do the team a lot more good if he’s making the play that sets up a goal two or three passes later.

The Union struggled against Portland’s wingers last week. And the Rapids were very aggressive on the flanks. Is that a concern for Philadelphia?

Cann: Absolutely. The Union spend a lot of time and energy on international recruiting, and they tabbed 26-year old Porfirio Lopez as the answer at left back. Portland’s Khalif Alhassan was rampant last Monday, tying Lopez in knots on multiple occasions and grabbing a goal and an assist for his troubles.

Philly relies on Lopez and Sheanon Williams to get high up the pitch as they work the ball out of the back, so Colorado’s ability to pin back the Union’s wide threats will change the nature of the game.

Philly will either have to ask midfielders Gabriel Gomez and Brian Carroll to develop the offense or resort to the long ball, a tactic unlikely to bear fruit without the slippery Le Toux drifting off the shoulders of center backs.

What matchup — either position (e.g., mid vs mid, strikers vs defenders) or player (for example Wynne vs Mwanga) — do the Union need to win if they want to walk out of PPL Park with three points against Colorado?

Cann: After Philly was dominated on the wings Monday night, it’s tempting to say the Philly outside backs against the Rapids’ wingers is the key matchup. But Mastroeni was the difference in 2011 and I don’t believe it will be any different this year. Jeff Larentowicz is such a good midfield sweeper that Mastroeni was able to pop up all over the PPL Park in Colorado’s 2011 win.

The Union believe they have an answer to Pablo the Ageless in Panamanian Gabriel Gomez, an extremely mobile and intelligent player who should be tracking midfield runners while Brian Carroll helps out on the flanks. There is a lot of hype around Gomez and he will have to live up to it on Sunday.